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Thomas Fellrath
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Joined: 22 August 2019
Location: United States
Posts: 10
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| Posted: 28 February 2021 at 11:03pm | IP Logged | 1
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The Comic Book Historians podcast did a very nice 3-part interview with Mr. DeFalco. (Scroll down a little at the link to find the episodes)
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Joe Zhang
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 12857
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| Posted: 01 March 2021 at 5:46pm | IP Logged | 2
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The one thing I didn't like about that era is how editors were writing each other's books, and for multi-multi-year tenures. I don't think the quality of their work deserved such long runs.
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Rebecca Jansen
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Joined: 12 February 2018
Location: Canada
Posts: 4499
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| Posted: 16 April 2021 at 2:14pm | IP Logged | 3
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Here's my 1988-1993 accumulation/collection so far
Amazing Spider-Man 366-373, Annual 23, 24
Avengers 305-344, 348-351, Annual 18, 19
Avengers Spotlight 21-28, 37-40
Avengers West Coast 41-75, Annual 4, 5
Black Cat 1-4 (mini)
Black Knight 1-4 (mini)
Captain America 355-371, 383, 401-410, Annual 9
Daredevil Annual 4 (5)
Fantastic Four 325, 345-351, Annual 22
Fantastic Four Unlimited 1-3
The Invaders 1-4 (mini)
Iron Man 231-253, 256, 267-277, Annual 10, 11
Marvel Super-Heroes 1-6
Namor 12
New Warriors 11-30
Silver Surfer Annual 2
Solo Avengers 15-20
Spectacular Spider-Man 168-170, 186-188, Annual 9, 10
Spider-Man Classics 1
Thor 411. 412, 431-444, 447-450, 457-459, Annual 14, 15
Uncanny X-Men 249-250, Annual 13
Web of Spider-Man Annual 5, 6
What If? 1
What The..?! 1, 2
X-Factor Annual 4
Had to pay a premium for some Byrne West Coast issues, and also Thor 411 & 412 (intro New Warriors) and the Captain America with Crossbones' first appearance (thanks Civil War movie)
I could almost throw out FF Unlimited into the paper recyling bin, especially 2 & 3... this is now my do not go beyond area on Marvels until 1997. Hideous artwork. Also the Black Cat mini is particularly bad same art style that was in vogue being almost parodied (the one with three facial expressions; straining-at-stool, pouting and grimmacing, one is almost fellatio face).
The want list is pretty short now...
Fantastic Four 352-360
maybe Quasar 13-16
maybe Spectacular Spider-Man 171-177
Spectacular Spider-Man 189-193
maybe Solo Avengers 9-14
Edited by Rebecca Jansen on 16 April 2021 at 2:19pm
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Jason K Fulton
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Joined: 23 September 2016
Location: United States
Posts: 691
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| Posted: 16 April 2021 at 2:26pm | IP Logged | 4
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Those last few Simonson FF issues are probably going to be a bear (#353/354), given the Time Variance Authority storyline and the upcoming LOKI show. Great issues though!
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Rebecca Jansen
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 February 2018
Location: Canada
Posts: 4499
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| Posted: 17 April 2021 at 10:42am | IP Logged | 5
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It helps not to be too picky about condition or the cover edition markings being newsstand or direct (although I am newsstand only for '70s and early '80s)... somehow I even ended up with an Australian newsstand copy of FF#351! Didn't know they existed. The date on the cover is three months later than the American edition but inside it's the same in the indicia/colophon.
One thing I very much dislike about this era is these holographic, die-cut or raised surface covers. They look awful when something has gone off in the registration, and as now thirty year old comics these holographs can be awfully worn looking. If there had been a plain version I'd be wanting that one. So far I haven't got any of these blank raised surface covers, they look awful to me, but I have a New Warriors with the die-cut thing and it's totally out of line and doesn't 'work', and even has a small tear on one bit that sticks out. I guess I'm stupid because I want things kept simple?
That super shiny or super white book stock paper inside also really makes weak art look much worse than it would on newsprint, or reprints made from lower resolution photostats. If they were going to make people pay more for that they should have art either created for that kind of reproduction or shot the original art over for anything vintage. Neal Adams and Tom Palmer pages should have looked fantastic on nice paper but they come across looking like enlarged microfilm sometimes, and early Steve Ditko Spider-Man (this Classics restart from AF #15 onward) might even be someone just sharpening up a scan from newsprint and making it look even more dated (I first saw most of them in little paperback sized form circa 1979, didn't know how lucky I was).
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Rebecca Jansen
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 February 2018
Location: Canada
Posts: 4499
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| Posted: 04 June 2021 at 1:05pm | IP Logged | 6
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Thoughts on DeFalco as a writer: I feel like he is pretty solid and doesn't fall below a fairly high standard, but there are sure some strange turns to 'his' Marvel universe. They feel like barnacles sometimes, such as this whole Alicia/a-skrull-named-Lyja business. It seems at the moment it adds dramatic depth, but what you are left with is a convoluted load of explaining. Not having read where Alicia takes up with and marries the Human Torch instead of the Thing I can only say I think I dislike that as much as DeFalco must have to go through this explaining away of it. She seems to get involved with the Silver Surfer in later comics as well so I guess she 'leaves' Ben again anyway. A skrull is not a bad explanation, but anything that gets beyond a quartet of familiar faces feels awkward (I didn't like when Crystal was a member way back really, because she felt like B-lister unlike She-Hulk). Whoever had the Thing get even rockier while a new Ms. Marvel becomes a second Thing really hit a major clunker I think... it's just a mess visually and trying to keep explaining the situation, and then Ben Grimm is human but in some sort of fabulous classic appearance Thing suit while MM/Shari looks like a second Thing... bleh! Best forgotten.
Here's the 1988-1993 'collection' to date. I took the plunge on a Marvel Super-Heroes 8 (1st Squirrel Girl) unexpectedly when I found one on auction graded low but looks high, guess I'll find out if I got a bargain or not when it shows up. Very annoyed the colorist of Namor 20 half ruined the comic, for some reason Glynis who did 19 did not do this one.
I can't expect I'll ever get Fantastic Four 353 or 352 at current prices... maybe if the imagined fervor of their tv/film importance dies down? I do have 334-344 on my want list, along with New Warriors 32-34, and Spectacular Spider-Man 178-185. I had Captain Marvel 1 on it (Monica Rambeau version) but struck that off due to price, but like that MS-H 8... you never know.
Amazing Spider-Man 366-373, Annual 23, 24
Avengers 305-344, 348-351, Annual 18, 19
Avengers Spotlight 21-30, 37-40
Avengers Terminatrix 1-4 (mini)
Avengers West Coast 41-75, Annual 4, 5
Black Cat 1-4 (mini)
Black Knight 1-4 (mini)
Captain America 355-371, 383, 401-410, Annual 9
Daredevil Annual 4 (5)
Fantastic Four 325, 345-351, 356-360, Annual 22
Fantastic Four Unlimited 1-3 (wanting to throw 2 &3 in the trash though)
The Invaders 1-4 (mini)
Iron Man 231-253, 256, 267-277, Annual 10, 11
Marvel Super-Heroes 1-8, 12-15
Marvel Tales 264, 265
Namor 12, 19, 20
New Warriors 10-31, Annual 3
Quasar 13-16
Silver Surfer 19, 24-32, Annual 2
Solo Avengers 15-20
Spectacular Spider-Man 154, 168-177, 186-188, 191-193, Annual 9, 10
Spider-Man Classics 1
Spider-Woman 1-4 (mini)
Thor 411-418, 431-444, 447-450, 457-459, Annual 14, 15
Thunderstrike 1-4
Uncanny X-Men 249-250, Annual 13
Web of Spider-Man 67, Annual 5, 6
What If? 1
What The..?! 1, 2
X-Factor Annual 4
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Mark Haslett
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 19 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 6097
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| Posted: 04 June 2021 at 4:16pm | IP Logged | 7
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I didn't like Alicia and Johnny getting married, but I can see a lot of value in trying to restore the original order of things through actual character growth.
If, in the long run, we ended up with Alicia and Ben back together while Ben and Johnny remained friends -- that would take us through a lot of rich territory. It actually reminds me of the second half of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina just to imagine it.
The "quick fix" felt entirely like a way to hack off a nose to spite a face.
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Rebecca Jansen
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Joined: 12 February 2018
Location: Canada
Posts: 4499
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| Posted: 05 June 2021 at 12:04pm | IP Logged | 8
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I always try to remember that this is art/literature made to a deadline and something has to happen in an issue; they can't all just sit around a sewing circle talking about how cool it is just to have their powers. I read a Bullpen Bulletins editorial by DeFalco the other day addressing criticism of Marvel publishing too many new books as them trying new things and sometimes failing. A lot of the new books to me were clunkers of the 'dark' or 'blood' this or that extreme character sort of thing going on at the time. But there was also something imaginative like Sleepwalker now and then. There were some artists published by Marvel I would say were a long way from being Marvel quality... it's weird to see some of the comics from this time with inept fanzine level visuals in it, and as I remarked early, why all the hoo-hah about interns and assistants to editors and the conventions they 'performed' at? I would think 90% of readers could care less about such stuff. That seems geared toward the wannabe fan dreaming of being a 'pro' (breaking in like a criminal?). I'd rather they kept Don Heck, Al Williamson, Sal Buscema and Herb Trimpe busy (which they did) than focused on yet another young egotist getting their name on stuff they always dreamed of seeing it on... seems like a time of way too many editors and assistants, and too many unremarkable artists and writers getting their big break and just underwhelming everyone but their friends. For every Paul Ryan, Todd McFarlane, Ron Lim or Mark Bagley there seems to be two or three not at all ready for prime time players.
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Richard Stevens
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Joined: 04 May 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 1927
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| Posted: 05 June 2021 at 3:56pm | IP Logged | 9
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Man, I loved Sleepwalker as a kid. That was a fun book.
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Jonathan A. Dowdell
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Joined: 17 July 2016
Location: United States
Posts: 417
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| Posted: 07 June 2021 at 8:52am | IP Logged | 10
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I was not reading the FF religiously during the DeFalco run but I did not hate the skrull/Lyja twist. As was stated, it allowed certain elements of the team’s relationships/dynamic to return but added a new wrinkle.
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Greg McPhee
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Joined: 25 August 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 5065
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| Posted: 08 June 2021 at 2:04pm | IP Logged | 11
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I really enjoyed DeFalco's run on Amazing Spider-Man with Ron Frenz. In fact, I'd put it up there with the Lee/Ditko/Romita, Conway/Kane/Andru and Stern/JR, Jr. runs.
I liked what DeFalco and Frenz did on Thor, and to be fair, they had a really hard act to follow after the brilliance of the Simonson run. De Falco said himself on a recent YouTube interview that he didn't really see himself as a "cosmic saga" guy, but by the time he wrote the Celestials tale in his run, he found his groove.
His FF run just never seemed to gel together despite the art of Paul Ryan. It just seemed to be trying to recapture Lee and Kirby while being forced in to the 90's mould of Marvel Comics. It began to feel like a bad X-Men clone with the Hyperstorm stuff and all the alternate futures, etc.
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Jonathan A. Dowdell
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Joined: 17 July 2016
Location: United States
Posts: 417
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| Posted: 08 June 2021 at 4:05pm | IP Logged | 12
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Greg: "It just seemed to be trying to recapture Lee and Kirby while being forced in to the 90's mold of Marvel Comics."
**********
I think that sums up DeFalco's FF perfectly.
Edited by Jonathan A. Dowdell on 08 June 2021 at 4:05pm
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